Capsule-machine



0 upper end of bar (6 UNITED STATES THEODORE (l. MERZ, OF DETROIT,MICHIGAN.

CAPSULE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.321-.868. dated August25, 1.885.

Application filed May 2, 1885. tModcl.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE G. Mnnz, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of WVayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Capsule-Machines; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappcrtains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My present invention is designed to facilitate the manufacture ofgelatine capsules; and it consists of devices for removing the partsforming the capsules from the pin or pins upon which they are formedafter being properly trimmed, and at the same time placing the removedparts of a capsule viz., its cap and bodywithin a plate or platespreparatory to being joined together by means constituting anotherinvention.

In the drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, Figure 1 is anisometrical view of my invention having one end containing like partsbroken away. Figs. 2 and 3 are onlarged details of the machine. Fig. 4is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the machine, partly in section.Fig. 5 is a view of one of the springs for removing the capsule from thepin or pins.

A represents the table or base, to which I attach two uprights, as B,also two uprights, as H, supporting the capsule-pin plate I Said platecontains aseries of capsule-pins, a, which project through said plate,which is made double, or it may be constituted of but a single plate.The bar 8 is secured to the base upon uprights S, passing through saidbar freely. I employ two rods, as r, sliding freely through said bar anduprights B. Attached to each bar is a traveling head, 71, carrying thespring-metal bars a a. To said spring-bars I attach the jaws g g. Saidjaws at the free ends are attached to the vertical bars a a the lowerjaw being attached to the lower end of the bar a, the upper jaw to the(See Fig. 1.) Passing around said jaws is a yoke, y, having the thepressure-block o and thumb screw 2. (See Figs. 1 and 4.) Attached to thetraveling heads h is a horizontal bar, m. Said bar also passes throughthe upturned ends C of the operating-lever O. The portion G extendsdownward, and is pivoted, as shown by dotted lines, at Z to the baseA,'(see Fig. 1,) being there bent outward at right angle, and afterwardbent parallel to the pivot to form the handle f. To the vertical bar a",I attach the horizontal bars h, and to the vertical bar a, I attach thehorizontal bars h. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) To the adjacent faces of eachset of horizontal bars hh, I attach the springs e, the body of saidsprings being secured to said bars and the end portions being bent overtoward each other, having the ends slightly depressed, as shown in Fig.5. The standards R are provided with a recess at the top and bottomsufficiently large to allow the plate F to be freely inserted andremoved endwise, as required. Said plate is provided with a series ofholes, a, made sufficiently large to receive the body of a capsule whenremoving capsules from the pins a.

As the cap of a capsule is larger in diameter than the body of acapsule, when removing caps from the pins upon which they are formed Iemploy a plate like F, having the holes 1) of a larger diameter toreceive the caps in the same manner as the capsules,wl1ich will behereinafter set forth. The plate F is made sufficiently thick to receivethe parts of a capsule and not project through when inserted in theholes 2;. The capsule-pin plate may contain any suitable number of pins,and to each pin I mount upon the bars h k a set of grasping-springs, e.The holes in plate F register with the pins n.of the capsule-plate. Thethumb-screwz is designed to give the jaws g g a slight adjustment.

The operations of the machine are as follows: The lever O is forceddown, drawing back the heads h, the bars 1, the jaws g, and series ofbars h h until the yoke y strikes the face of bar 8, when said yoke oryokes will be forced back onto the reduced portions :20 of the jaws whenthe springs a a throw said jaws apart, thereby separating thehorizontal. bars h 71?, as

ICO

shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The capsulepin plate P is placed in position, asshown in Fig. 1. The lever O is then raised, forcing the jaws g and barsh h partly back. The plate F is inserted,- as shown in Fig. 1. Theleverbeing farther raised brings the yoke y against the plate F, forcingsaid yoke over the'enlarged portion of the jaws g to the position ofFig. 1, the capsule-pins entering at the same time between the springs eof the bars h h, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, with the capsule iprojecting beyond said springs. (See Fig. 3.) As the yokes pass over theenlarged portion of the jaws the springs e are forced against thecapsule-pins a. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) The lever G is then forced down,drawing the jaws and series of bars hh" forward, bringing the springs cin confact with the edge of the capsule i, (see Fig. 3,) when saidcapsule or capsules will be gradually forced from said pin or pins, atthe same time entering the hole or holes 1) of the receiving-pla-te F,the lever 0 being depressed until the capsules have been transferred tosaid plate. The plate F, containing the capsules, is then removedendwise from the machine. The lever O is then farther depressed untilthe yokes y, striking the bar 8, is moved back onto the reduced portion00 of the jaws, when said jaws separate, as before stated. The caps ofcapsules are likewise removed from their forming-pins.

Having thus fully set forth my present invention, what I claim as new,and desire Letters Patent therefor, is

1. In a device for removing gelatine capsules from their pins, a seriesof bars or supports provided with the springs c, said bars adapted to bedrawn apart to allow the capsules to be projected between and beyondsaidsprings, said bars also adapted to be simultaneously moved toward eachother causing the springs to press upon the body of the capsule pin orpins, thence moved along the body of said pin or pins, removing thecapsule or capsules, substantially as set forth.

2. In a device for removing gelatine capsules from their pins, thecombination of the base attached thereto in duplicate, the uprights B SH, the lever attached to the rod m and base, as specified, said rodattached to the heads h, mounted upon the rods 7", sliding through theposts S B, the jaws g,'attached by spring-metal plates to said heads,the free ends of said jaws attached to the vertical bars, said barsattach ed to the horizontal bars h h as specified, said horizontal barssupporting the series of springs e which engage with the series ofcapsule-pins, as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a device for removing gelatine capsules from their pins, thecombination of the base, the uprights attached thereto, the capsuleplate and pins, the series of horizontal bars h h, said bars'attached tothe vertical bars, as specified, said vertical bars attached to theyoke-y, the capsule-receiving plate located in advance of the capsulesupon the pins 1, the holes '0, registering with said capsules, andmechanism for reciprocating the parts, as and for the purposesspecified.

4. In combination with the pins and capsules of a capsule-plate, thecapsule-receiving plate located in advance of said capsules and pins,said receivingplate provided-with a series of holes adapted to registerwith the mounted capsules of the capsule-plate and to receive saidcapsules as they are removed from the pins, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the horizontallyreciprocating jaws, of thevertical bars attached to the free ends of said jaws, as specified, saidvertical bars supporting thehorizontal bars, as set forth, and a yokefor holding said jaws, in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affi'xmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE C. MERZ.

Witnesses: R. B. WHEELER, J NO. G. DOYLE.

